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Wildlife Health Australia is pleased to welcome Dr Russell as the incoming Chair of their growing organisation. Coming from a background that involves human health – including multiple roles as a specialist medical practitioner, and also animal wellbeing (five-year Chair of RSPCA Australia), he brings a compelling ‘one health’ ethos to the role that recognises and advocates the fact that wildlife health and human health are fundamentally linked.
Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) is the independent coordinating body for wildlife health in Australia. It provides leadership through strong partnerships for national action supporting wildlife health.
WHA’s CEO Rupert Woods said “we’re pleased and proud to welcome Dr Richard Russell as the new Chair of our Board.
“Richard is a passionate practitioner of environmental, occupational and public health medicine as well as an enthusiastic supporter of One Health and the central role of wildlife health in the future health of our planet.
“We are totally looking forward to his insights and leadership as we grow and progress our critical work in coordinating knowledge and wellbeing of wildlife and human health”.
Background:
Richard joined the WHA Board in July 2024 as chair. He was a director of RSPCA Australia and was Chair for five years to 2023. He has previously been a director of Worksafe Victoria, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and several private companies, a Councillor for NH&MRC, Ambassador of Bridge the Gap Foundation, Development Committee Member at Menzies School of Health Research. He is a current examiner at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and a Champion for Palliative Care Australia.
He is a registered specialist medical practitioner and Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the RACP. He has medical degrees from University of Adelaide and a Master of Public Health from Sydney University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He has experience in rural general practice, corporate and private occupational medicine, public health medicine, governance of private, government and NFP organisations, and multinational risk and leadership consulting.